Dustin

The Full Story

Dustin was born on August 16th, 1995 to parents Jim and Leanne Barr. Dustin is most famously remembered for his love and passion for golf. Dustin swung his first golf club at only 2 years old, his drive was lead by his father Jim and Grandpa Gary Barr. Dustin’s dream was to land a scholarship with a college golf team, and he did just that amidst his extreme struggles.

At the young age of 17, Dustin was first diagnosed with undifferentiated sarcoma of the pelvis with metastasis to the pancreas in 2013. Throughout multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Dustin’s positive attitude and bravery kept him out on the golf course. Days before his surgery, Dustin played a memorable round of golf at St Andrews in Scotland with his father Jim, Dustin Wilson, and Marko Seppanen. On the last hole there wasn’t a dry eye on the course, as loved ones prepared for his upcoming surgery.

Dustin was told he would never be able to golf again. He proved them wrong and went through reconstructive hip surgery and a whipple with surprising results. After physiotherapy and gaining strength back, his first time back out on the golf course was in Jamaica.

Dustin attended Core Golf Academy in Florida and went on to win one of the FCWT tournaments, which lead to a scholarship at Thomas University in Georgia where he spent two years in business accounting. Dustin was able to live his college dream and play in many tournaments, one of his favorites being in Las Vegas Nevada.

Dustin’s biggest golf highlight was getting an exemption to play in the Staal Tournament in 2017 at White Water Golf Club. He was ecstatic when he received the call that he would be playing, and multiple family members and friends came to watch him golf. With his father by his side carrying his clubs, Dustin had a truly unforgettable experience, playing 36 holes in one day. Along with golf, his other passions included fishing, hunting, hockey, camping, and being outdoors.

As Dustin once put it “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid, it means you don’t let fear stop you. Fear has two meanings, forget everything and run or or face everything and rise, that’s your choice”.
He was the toughest spirit in the game for 7 years, and has shown us all what true courage means.

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This will be Raising the Barrs fourth annual tournament, a way of honouring Dustin while giving back to the communities and organizations that supported him through his battle against Cancer. Please join us in "Keeping Dustins Dreams Alive"  by purchasing a ticket for our Helicopter Ball Drop.